Tuesday, 24 April 2018

THOKOZANI Khupe, leader of the breakaway faction of the
opposition MDC-T yesterday defended her decision to rope in “outsiders” to fill
in vacant posts in her executive structures during her party’s elective
congress in Bulawayo on Saturday.

Khupe said the appointment of rights activist, Linda
Masarira, Samukele Hadebe and, Nixon Nyikadznio and Lynette Mudehwe was above
board, adding the four were genuine card-carrying members although they were
not active participants.

Her remarks followed complaints by some party supporters
who claimed the quartet had been imposed.

Masarira’s appointment came after she last month openly
pledged allegiance to MDC-T leader Nelson Chamisa in a post on Twitter.

“I have been asked countless times who I am voting for in
the 2018 elections. My vote for presidency is for @nelsonchamisa and that is
not a secret. I may not agree with his ascendancy into office but will let the
truth be told he is the best man for the job #GenerationalConsensus,” she
tweeted on March 18 this year.

However, Khupe’s aide, Witness Dube, said: “Firstly, that
our members and voters would do well to note that Masarira joined MDC in 2000
and became active in the Bulawayo South district. She has also been previously
active in Hwange and Harare before lying dormant from party politics after she
grew increasingly dissatisfied with what she viewed as a deviation of the party
from its founding values,” he said.

Dube indicated that the party amended its constitution to
allow a very limited number of special interest groups and individuals to be
legible for election or nomination to any position, subject to clearance by the
standing committee, notwithstanding any outstanding constitutional provisions
on membership of the party.

He said Masarira was a credible and unapologetic social,
economic, political and feminist activist who needed no introduction to the
Zimbabwean political arena.

“Secondly, Khupe is not surprised by the avalanche of
comments, most of them from people who are afraid of women who chose to
congregate around principle, constitutionalism, and to engage in politics that
puts the people of Zimbabwe first. She is equally unfazed by the usual ganging
up of some self-misguiding and cowardly men who become uneasy at the sight of
women whose coming together results in gender mainstreaming in decision
making.”

Khupe said Masarira and others satisfied all the
constitutional requirements in their entry into the MDC-T main body politics of
her party. Newsday